Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 331 A Gamble with My Life, But I Lost (Bonus Chapter)

After everyone left, only the pale light of the crystal and the increasingly dense aura of blood mist remained in the cave.

Lin Yi stood still.

Footsteps came from behind.

It was very light, but exceptionally clear in the silence.

Lin Yi didn't turn around; he knew who it was.

Edith walked to his side and stood beside him.

She didn't look at the crystal core on the ground; her gaze was fixed on the churning blood mist outside the cave.

The two were silent for a moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Edith asked first.

Lin Yi was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "I'm thinking about what to do if we fail."

He spoke very frankly.

“Failure is failure,” Edith said. “The worst outcome is that we all die here. But if we follow the established path, that outcome is inevitable anyway. At least we’ve taken a gamble, so even if we lose, it’s not a complete loss.”

She spoke casually, as if discussing what to eat tomorrow.

Lin Yi turned to look at her.

Edith also turned her head, her turquoise eyes perfectly calm.

"Team leader, do you know an old saying among our Spirit Clan?"

"what?"

"It's better to die on the way of the charge than to starve to death in a corner."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Although the context is a bit off, the meaning is roughly the same."

Lin Yi was speechless.

“Besides,” Edith continued, “I don’t think you’ll lose.”

"why?"

"Because I have seen your battle record at the Central Sacred Mountain."

Edith said, “I’ve not just watched it, I’ve analyzed it seventy-three times. From your first move to your last strike, every choice you made was like walking a pre-calculated path—precise, efficient, and without any unnecessary movements. This kind of person doesn’t do things they’re not sure of.”

Lin Yi remained silent.

Edith took something out of her bracelet and handed it over.

It is a leaf.

It is light green, only the size of a baby's palm, with leaves so thin they are almost transparent, and the veins are clearly visible.

It looks ordinary, like a wild grass leaf picked casually by the roadside.

However, upon closer inspection, one can detect a very subtle fluctuation in the rules of time.

It is very weak, so weak that it can be almost ignored, but it does exist.

Lin Yi didn't take it, but looked at Edith with a puzzled expression.

The treasures that govern the rules of time have long lost their effect on him.

After mastering the basics of the Laws of Time, ordinary Star Core-level treasures like Time Sand and Spring of Time can only provide a negligible boost to one's understanding.

He didn't think Edith would be unaware of this.

“A new bud from the Tree of Time,” Edith said. “It’s only a Star Core-level treasure right now, not very useful. But it will grow.”

She paused, then added, "It will probably take another three hundred standard days before it begins to emit fluctuations at the level of the Time Law. After taking it, the effect of comprehending the Time Law will roughly double within one standard day."

Lin Yi was taken aback upon hearing this.

The effect of comprehending the laws of time is doubled?
"Can this thing be brought in?"

The rules of the Myriad Secret Realms are extremely strict; life forms, equipment, and treasures of Star Core level or above are not allowed to be brought in.

This is an iron rule.

“Theoretically, no.” Edith smiled. “But the new shoots of the Tree of Time are special. In their budding stage, both their source energy and rule fluctuations are extremely weak, almost negligible. Strictly speaking, they are not even star core-level treasures, but… they will grow.”

Lin Yi looked at the tender leaf, somewhat speechless.

The foundation of a top-tier race is indeed unfathomable; they even have methods like "exploiting bugs."

But this was clearly prepared for Edith by herself.

And now, she's going to give it to him.

"Give this to me," Lin Yi said, but didn't take it. "Then what are you going to do?"

Edith glanced at him, said nothing, and simply rubbed her bracelet again.

Swish.

She took out a few more pieces.

Five identical tender green leaves were spread out in her palm, emitting the same faint fluctuations of time.

Lin Yi: ".?"

"This stuff doesn't have a cumulative effect when taken repeatedly," Edith said calmly. "The first time you take it, it doubles the effect of your comprehension. After the second time, it can only be used as a potion to instantly restore injuries and source energy."

She paused, then added, "Otherwise, I'll just give it all to you."

Lin Yi fell silent.

Is this the treatment given to the core geniuses of the most powerful races?

"Don't look at me like that." Edith seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "My tribe only gave me six pieces."

Only six pieces.
Lin Yi took the tender leaf and stopped being coy.

"Thank you."

“No need.” Edith shook her head. “I’m just making the most rational choice. Your success rate is higher than mine. It’s basic logic to concentrate resources on the person with the highest success rate.”

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked out of the cave.

Lin Yi held the tender leaf, standing still for a long time.
-
Time loses its meaning within the layer of blood mist.

There is no sunrise or sunset, no stars in motion, only an ever-thick, blood-red, churning fog.

During this period, the Abyss Clan and the Eclipse Clan came down several times, but they quickly withdrew again.

Three hundred days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The 300th day.

Inside the secluded training room, Lin Yi slowly opened his eyes.

He looked inward into the depths of his soul, into that purple mist space, where the spiritual energy was so dense it resembled a tangible ocean, slowly swirling and flowing.

3007.

He had an epiphany on the thirteenth day.

Lin Yi took a deep breath.

enough.

He took out the new bud from the Tree of Time.

Three hundred days have passed, and this tender leaf has undergone subtle changes.

The color changed from light green to a deep emerald green, and silver natural patterns emerged on the surface of the leaves. Those patterns seemed to be alive, slowly flowing.

Holding it in your hand, you can clearly feel a pure and powerful fluctuation of the laws of time.

It's matured.

Lin Yi did not hesitate.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking completely into the purple mist space.

Then, that purple ocean was ignited.

"Burning" is not a descriptive word.

Driven by the purple mist space, the spiritual energy truly began to "burn".

Purple flames rose from the depths of the ocean, instantly engulfing the entire space.

Each wisp of flame contains fragments of understanding of the laws of time, and carries the mysteries accumulated over three thousand years of cosmic time.

Lin Yi's soul was immersed in this flame.

The mysteries of the laws of time were revealed to him with unprecedented clarity.

He saw the phantom of the river of time rushing through the flames, he saw the grains of time dancing in the flames, and he saw the structure of spacetime appearing in the flames.

He began to understand.

It's not about fragmented techniques, but about fundamental principles.

Starting with the most basic "time perception", it builds up layer by layer: "fine-tuning of time flow", "construction of local time fields", "avoidance of time faults", and "capture of time ripples".
Each level of understanding requires a massive amount of spiritual energy to support it.

Purple flames are burning.

On the first day, the understanding of the Time Law increased from 1.3% to 1.8%.

The next day, 2.2%.

Day 2.5, %.

Day 8, 3.7%.

Day 9, 4.2%.

Day 10, 4.6%.

Day 11, 4.8%.

Day 12, 4.9%.

By the thirteenth day, the speed of comprehension had slowed down significantly.

Three thousand years of accumulation have already consumed the vast majority of it.

The purple flames began to dim, and the water level in the ocean of spiritual energy within the purple mist space dropped by more than 90%.

But we're still a little short of the 5% threshold.

Just then, Lin Yi swallowed the new bud of the Tree of Time.

The leaves melt in your mouth.

It had no taste, only a cool fluid that slid down the throat, instantly spreading to every part of the body, and finally gathering in the depths of the soul.

boom.

The purple flames, which were about to go out, suddenly rose up again.

This time, the flames were no longer pure purple, but tinged with a faint silver, the power of the new buds of the Tree of Time.

The flame did not burn faster, but its efficiency doubled.

Lin Yi's soul, immersed in the silvery-purple flames, began its final sprint.

The silvery-purple flames burned for an entire day.

When the last flame died down, the ocean of spiritual energy within the purple mist space had completely dried up.

But deep within Lin Yi's soul, the silver mark representing the laws of time had undergone a tremendous change.

He opened his eyes.

A flash of silvery-gray light disappeared into the depths of his pupils, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.

It wasn't something he actively activated; rather, it was a "field" that naturally emanated after the level of the laws was raised.

5.7%.

An improvement of more than four times.

Lin Yi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

It became.
-
In the center of the camp, everyone was summoned again.

This time, the atmosphere was completely different.

Three hundred days passed, and the number of people in the camp decreased from more than seven hundred to six hundred and ninety-three. During this period, seven more people died, all of them in accidents while hunting.

But those who survived had a much more solid aura than before.

In the high-pressure environment of the Blood Mist Layer, fighting against Star Domain-level Mist Beasts every day is the best form of training.

Lin Yi stood in front of the crystal pillar, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

His aura was more restrained than it had been three hundred days ago, but his eyes seemed to have accumulated the weight of time, giving people a strange sense of oppression when he looked over.

"Everyone," he began, his voice calm, "in five days, the exit will open."

"I have achieved an initial breakthrough." Lin Yi didn't go into details, simply stating, "Now, it's time to leave here."

The cave was silent, but everyone's eyes lit up.

Three hundred days of waiting, three hundred days of fighting, three hundred days of placing all hope on one person.

Now, the moment of verification has finally arrived.

"Assemble everyone, travel light, and only bring necessary equipment and medicine," Lin Yi ordered. "We will return the way we came."

The command was concise, but everyone knew what it meant.

The final breakout.

Soon, all 693 people had assembled.

No one speaks.

Everyone silently checked their equipment, took the last dose of recovery potion, and adjusted their condition.

Lin Yi walked at the front, with Edith following slightly behind him.

The two looked at each other, neither of them spoke, but simply nodded.

Then, the team set off.

There were no grand pronouncements, no pre-battle mobilization.

Three hundred days of living in the Blood Mist have passed; everything that needed to be said has been said, and everything that needed to be done has been done.

Now, only one thing remains.

rush.

At the entrance to the Blood Mist Passage, a vortex slowly rotated, emitting an ominous bloody light, like a giant maw waiting to devour.

Lin Yi stopped in front of the passage.

He turned around and looked at the 693 faces behind him.

“I’ll go first,” he said. “You split up to clear the way, and I’ll follow. Edith, you strongest ones, follow closely behind. The rest of you, maintain formation. We have only one goal: to break through.”

Everyone nodded.

Lin Yi said no more, and a thought crossed his mind.

The clone took a step forward and was the first to disappear into the blood-red vortex.

Half a breath later, Lin Yi followed closely behind.

A brief feeling of weightlessness and detachment.

The scene before my eyes changed.

however.

Lin Yi had just rushed out of the passage when he heard the clone's fierce shout.

"Go back!"

The voice was urgent like never before, and even contained a hint of horror.

Lin Yi's pupils contracted sharply. He saw it.

The area around the entrance to the passage was densely packed with people.

Abyss Clan, Erosion Clan.

Their positioning was extremely strange; instead of being scattered, they formed a complex battle formation covering the entire passageway area.

But that's not the scariest thing.

The most terrifying thing is the color.

The Abyss Clan and the Eclipse Clan no longer had their original dark gold or dark purple color.

Instead, it was blood red.

An intense, almost palpable crimson color seeped from every pore of their bodies, forming a thick, viscous, blood-red halo on their skin.

The halos intertwined, like a solid iron plate, completely merging their auras into one.

And this blood color.
Lin Yi's mind went blank.

He has seen it.

He not only saw it, but he also experienced it firsthand.

A thousand years ago, the three prodigies of the Kunmo clan used a similar secret technique of burning their life essence to forcibly enhance their strength.

And right now, all of these Abyss Clan and Eclipse Clan members are using it!

They not only used it, but used it more skillfully.

Instead of fighting individually, they used battle formations to completely connect the essence and blood of everyone, forming a unified whole.

This is no longer a simple matter of "numerical advantage".

This is a war fortress built entirely of flesh and blood!

"retreat!"

Lin Yi shouted sharply, his voice echoing among the crowd who had just rushed out of the passage behind him.

But it's too late.

In the center of the Abyss Clan's battle formation, a dragon-shaped Abyss Clan member, covered in dark golden scales and possessing an aura at the peak of the Star Vortex level, slowly raised his arm.

The crimson aura surrounding him fluctuated violently.

Then, he punched out.

It wasn't directed at Lin Yi.

It faces the space above the entrance to the passage.

boom.

Space is broken.

It's not a tear, it's a collapse.

Centered on the entrance to the passage, the space within a radius of 300 meters was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, like shattered glass.

Immediately afterwards, the cracks began to collapse inward, forming a huge spatial vortex.

Space blockade!

Moreover, it is a comprehensive spatial collapse and blockade.

"Time freeze!" the clone roared, and silver-gray ripples spread wildly from him.

He's working desperately.

He desperately tried to freeze the overwhelming attack by manipulating the newly broken-through time law.

The clone's "time freeze" lasted for less than half a breath.

Click.

The silver-gray ripples broke.

The clone let out a muffled groan, and blood seeped from all seven orifices at the same time.

But instead of retreating, he took a step forward.

"Stop!"

An even stronger silver-gray light erupted from his body.

at the same time.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat back into the passage!" Lin Yi roared, simultaneously resetting time stop and moving like lightning to grab Edith, who had just rushed out of the passage, and pull her backward.

Aoba, Ryuun, and the others also realized what was happening and hurriedly retreated.

But the line was too long.

There were at least two hundred more people rushing out of the passage, and there was no time for them all to retreat.

"A clone!" Lin Yi's eyes flashed sharply.

The clone understands.

He glanced at Lin Yi one last time.

then.

boom! ! !
Within the clone's body, the imprint of the law of time exploded with a deafening roar.

Lin Yi, along with Edith and the last few dozen team members, stumbled back into the blood mist passage in a sorry state.

In his last glance, Lin Yi saw...
The blood-red battlefield was fading as the light from the self-destructing clones dissipated, while the blood-red battle formation formed by the Abyss Clan and the Eclipse Clan remained unmoved.

They didn't even give chase.

He simply watched the passage close, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a group of dead people.

The blood mist layer, on the other side of the passage.

Lin Yi staggered to the ground, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Edith was pulled by the arm, but she immediately let go after regaining her balance.

The team members who retreated landed one after another, each one looking disheveled.

The cave was deathly silent.

Lin Yi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up straight.

"Go quickly." He only said one word.

The group followed in silence.

Speechless all the way.

Everyone was still processing what had just happened.

That couldn't have been arranged on a whim.

That requires extensive rehearsals, meticulous coordination, and prior planning.

After returning to the camp.

Lin Yi stopped in front of the crystal pillar, turned around, and looked at the more than six hundred pale faces behind him.

He was silent for a long time.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, but everyone heard him clearly, "I've let everyone down...."

No one spoke.

Disappointed?
of course.

Three hundred days of waiting, three hundred days of fighting, three hundred days of placing all hope on one person—and then, at the last moment, discovering that the enemy had already laid a trap, waiting for them to walk right into it.

That kind of disparity is enough to crush anyone.

but.
Edith gave a wry smile.

She stepped forward and stood beside Lin Yi, looking at the crowd.

"Everyone saw what happened just now."

Her voice was calm, but tinged with weariness. "The Abyss Clan and the Eclipse Clan are not only Star-level beings, but they also possess that forbidden technique. Moreover, they don't fight alone; they are completely integrated through battle formations."

She paused for a moment: "The Elven race also has similar forbidden techniques, but they are used by certain special legions."

This is not shirking responsibility, but stating the facts.

Everyone was silent.

Actually, everyone understood it.

What just happened can no longer be explained by differences in numbers or strength.

That was a complete and utter crushing defeat.

"so."

Lin Yi took over the conversation, his voice a little hoarse.
“From the very beginning, we have fallen into their trap. The previous times they went down into the Blood Mist layer, their search was a pretense, their real purpose was to set up surveillance. They must have some means to contact the Black Mist layer.”

Lin Yi gave a bitter smile, "We made a wrong move. We risked our lives, but we lost."

The cave remained deathly silent.

But the atmosphere of despair actually faded somewhat.

Because everyone understands that it's not that the team leader is incompetent, or that they didn't work hard enough, but rather that the enemy is too ruthless and too well-prepared.

"So now," Aoba asked in a low voice, "what do we do?"

Lin Yi remained silent for a moment.

Then, he slowly said, "Actually, there is another way."

All eyes turned to them.

"I've broken through to the Star Vortex level," Lin Yi said calmly. "With my current understanding of the laws, if I force a breakthrough, my strength should rise to another level. Then, I'll try to tear open an opening to cover everyone's escape."

After he finished speaking, the cave fell into a deathly silence.

Breakthrough to the Star Swirl level?
That means Lin Yi will stay here forever.

Just like Huiyao, just like those forty-odd Star-level geniuses.

A deathly silence, thicker than the blood mist, pressed heavily on the chests of every survivor.

Qingye opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Liuyun stood there blankly, motionless. One of his companions behind him subconsciously took half a step forward, but then stopped abruptly.
Sacrifice the team leader to get them out?
The weight of this life is enough to crush all their pride.

But now, is there any other way to go?
The group looked at each other speechlessly, and could only remain silent.

however.

Edith shook her head.

"It's no use, team leader."

She gave a bitter smile.

"That kind of forbidden battle formation is recorded in detail in our clan's records. Once it is formed, unless the duration expires or it is defeated head-on with absolute power, such as by a true Transcendent Realm level combatant, there is no way to cheat it."

"You can't break through it."

"Even if we all break through, we still can't break through."

Lin Yi fell silent.

He knew Edith was right.

What just happened has proven everything.

The cave fell silent once more.

However, after realizing that there was no way out, everyone's expressions actually improved, and some of the prodigies even seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Despair can be suffocating, but when even despair becomes a given, it can give rise to a strange kind of peace.

After a moment of silence, Lin Yi slowly exhaled.

He looked around at the top talents from various races of the Pan-Spirit Alliance before him.

"There are still some days left, everyone, get some rest."

Lin Yi slowly said, "The rules of the myriad secret realms are unknown. Although no one has ever been stranded there again, it may simply be because they went to another place that we cannot understand, rather than being completely annihilated."

He paused, looking up at the ever-churning, blood-red sky.

"If the secret realm truly closes, the rules collapse, and all things are annihilated, then these remaining days will be our last moment of peace. Let's adjust our mindset, whether it's to spend time with others or to contemplate quietly."

“If unforeseen changes do occur,” Lin Yi’s gaze sharpened again, “at least we won’t be facing them in the worst possible situation.”

There was no grand mobilization, nor any false hope.

Only a calm, almost cruel, account of reality, and a last vestige of hope for the "unknown" amidst despair.

Edith looked at Lin Yi's profile and suddenly asked softly, "Team leader, what about you?"

Lin Yi paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Me? I'll probably find a quiet place and ponder the laws of time some more."

"After all, I've just made a breakthrough, and there are still some details I haven't sorted out. Even if I don't end up using it, at least the thinking process itself makes me feel that my time wasn't wasted."

He turned and walked deeper into the camp.

Everyone watched him leave, and no one spoke for a long time.

Finally, Edith sighed softly, "Everyone, disperse. As the team leader said, rest and wait."

The crowd dispersed silently, each returning to their humble "dwellings" that they had cultivated for over three hundred days within this layer of blood mist.

The atmosphere was somber, but there was no unrest or collapse.

Those who have reached this point have already had their willpower honed to be sufficiently resilient.

In the days that followed, the Blood Mist Camp fell into a state of near stagnation.

The hunt has stopped.

Training has stopped.

All monitoring and patrols, except for the most basic vigilance, have been significantly reduced.

Time seemed to become viscous and slow, every minute and every second appearing exceptionally clear, yet exceptionally heavy.

Some people choose to close their eyes and sit quietly, reflecting on the past and making peace with themselves.

People gathered in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones, reminiscing about their hometowns, and discussing unfulfilled regrets and trivial wishes.

Others, like Lin Yi, remained immersed in cultivation, as if it allowed them to temporarily forget the impending end.

Lin Yi sat alone in the cave where he had first gone into seclusion, sorting out and refining his work over and over again.

Like a craftsman who, in the final moments of his life, still meticulously polishes his most prized work.

Occasionally, he would think of Blue Star, his parents, the training camp, Senior Sister Qianhuan's expectations, and the gaze of Venerable Master Xuanyan.

He was not without regrets; all his efforts in this life and the next seemed to have ultimately been defeated by a scheme from a higher level.

Now, he has come to his senses.

That forbidden technique involving blood essence is exactly the same as the one used by the Kunmo Clan's prodigy before, and now even the Erosion Clan and the Abyss Clan know it.

This happened almost a thousand years ago!
A thousand years ago, the two races prepared this secret method. At that time, I had not yet revealed my talent for the laws. This was obviously not a spur-of-the-moment decision because I revealed the laws. It shows that the two races had planned this all along.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi sighed inwardly. He was clearly trapped here now, so what was the use of thinking about this now?

He didn't feel much anger or resentment.

The universe is vast, and the struggle between races is inherently cruel.

Having come this far, witnessed such scenery, competed against such opponents, and fought alongside such prodigies, it seems... not too bad.
The thought made him laugh at himself.

　Sorry for the late post, but I wasn't entirely satisfied and revised it several times.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)